It's been a while since I've watched a Lifetime original movie, but I have a special fondness for them. By all means, the network has a reputation for cheesy, melodramatic tripe, but I also firmly believe the network is misunderstood. When it comes to Lifetime thrillers, some are very earnest, and carefully made, and in turn genuinely good. Even better are those examples that audiences at large apparently fail to grasp: the wild, blustery B-movies that are outwardly played perfectly straight while ramping up the drama to the point of cheeky, underhanded absurdity. Lifetime is an absolute blast at its best, and some of my favorites among the latter group include 'Pom poms and payback,' 'My killer client,' 'Wheels of beauty,' and above all 'A deadly adoption.' As writer Stephen Romano and filmmaker Curtis Crawford look to take on the singularly modern topic of "influencers" in this 2019 flick, what tack would 'Deadly influencer' take - and in the eyes of a fan of Lifetime, how successful would it be?
We start to get some answers right away as the opening scene shows us a big party dominated by alcohol, held in honor of a young rising influencer, among peers who turn out to be... oh, okay, they're all high school students. High school students who seem to have the unfettered mobility and independence of adults, and none of the structure or delegated responsibilities of teenagers. The plot kicks up immediately in those first minutes with no trace of exposition, and the pacing quickly proves to be steady and a little forced. Movie Magic And Logic allows main character, antagonist, and killer Skylar to take whatever measures she needs to progress her agenda after the first spark of violence in that opening scene, and that's to say nothing of achingly, deliberately thin and overbearing characters, dialogue, and scene and narrative writing - and massive helpings of extraordinary kitsch wherever a beat calls for bubbly socializing, general levity, or even sentimentality. Of course the actors are often guided into appropriately gauche performances, not least Abby Ross as Skylar's new protégé Jessica, while on the other hand, Crawford enforces a decidedly severe tone as director, and Richard Bowers' original music is similarly stark and darkly ambient, kind of more appropriate for a horror-thriller.
Sure, in more sober moments, actors further including Avaah Blackwell or Anne Dudek ably meet the demands of a scene. But that brings us to star Morgan Taylor Campbell, portraying Skylar. One of the great joys of Lifetime thrillers is how they allow those in villain roles to completely let loose, overact, chew scenery, and fly off the handle in whatever way the feature requires. Consider Allison Paige in 'My killer client,' Nana Visitor in 'Killer grandma,' Jessica Lowndes in 'A deadly adoption' among others, and so on. In that same tradition, Campbell is an outright pleasure as she unabashedly leans into the relentlessly biting personality of a girl who is swift to anger with a propensity toward violence, and who has a cruel, pathological need for control (by whatever means necessary) following a history of abuse. In her crocodile tears, in the facade of normalcy she puts on, in the moments of downright instability, and above all in her most unremitting anger and disturbed intensity, Campbell carries herself with a wholehearted commitment that's honestly pretty startling to some degree. Campbell conveys so much with her eyes alone, and her facial expressions, and as she throws all her acting skill into going overboard, the result is so much fun from top to bottom.
Lest you think all these factors portend a total romp, though, the overall tenor of 'Deadly influencer' is a tad less clear-cut. At the same time that the writing, direction, and so much of the acting - and that music, and even Jordan Jensen's editing - entirely embrace the more purposefully unhinged corner of Lifetime, the root storytelling is just sincere enough that the sum total sort of rides a line instead of completely falling on either side. Despite what the premise may suggest, meanwhile, this isn't so much a joyride in which we expect to cheer a killer slaying vapid, superficial "influencers" as it is an ordinary thriller about a deeply troubled young woman (or rather, teen, I guess) who seeks to dominate others, with the tableau tailored to weave in influencers and social media. To that point, the script does weakly play with the good and mostly the bad of the modern Internet. But at the same time that the title seems primed to say something meaningful and authentic about social media, at the psychological moment it turns around and sideswipes us with an ending that's altogether hilarious as the full brunt of Lifetime melodrama and sentimentality is poured into the most mundane and unremarkable of actions.
With all this said, for as much as a ride as this takes us on, I for one quite love it. It's not as cheerfully entertaining as something like 'Secret lives of college escorts,' but it's close enough when all is said and done. And whatever we may think of the slant that this and its brethren adopt, nothing about it is accidental or sloppy. The tone is severe, but it's meant to be, just as the writing is meant to be so ham-fisted in its exploration of the core plot. The pacing is brisk, but it's meant to be. The acting is over the top, but it's meant to be, and not only do I firmly believe that the cast would show themselves to be very admirable if given an opportunity in a more widely accepted type of movie, but when it comes to Campbell especially, I truly want to find more of their credits. This is well made by all the contemporary standards of the medium, and special, undeniable commendations must be awarded for the impeccable, gorgeous hair and makeup work, and the keen eye of the wardrobe department.
Listen, I get it. Lifetime isn't for everyone, even when they're being earnest. When it comes to Lifetime B-movies, I can understand why folks don't get the joke, for it's the same variety of sly, winking humor as, say, what John Carpenter applied with his deeply underappreciated 'Ghosts of Mars.' For those who are open to all the wide possibilities of what film and television have to offer, though, there is so much to enjoy from this network that is so commonly (and wrongly) maligned, and as far as I'm concerned 'Deadly influencer' fits right in. Him and haw as we may about the particulars, I had such a good time watching, and if you're open to what Lifetime has to offer, I'm happy to give this flick my hearty recommendation!
